A Requiem of Hope
by Cattie V
Summary: Sequel to The Letters. It has now been a year since Arthur's death, and Camelot is enjoying a time of prosperity and peace, but things are not as the seem. A shadow is growing and only one man can stop it.
1. A New Beginning

**Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin nor any of its characters. Those are the property of the BBC. Enjoy! And please review!**

The last year had passed by rather peacefully. No new monsters had attacked Camelot for a long while, which was of great relief to its inhabitants. The kingdom was prospering better than it ever had before. It was perfect. Too perfect, in fact. Some were afraid that it would not last, and they did not realize how right they were.

But for now, things were going well. Starvation had ceased to be a problem and everyone was happy. Well, as happy as they could possibly be after losing their beloved prince. He was missed more than anyone knew.

But now there was news that the king was planning on hosting a banquet in honor of his memory. This delighted the people. Although very few of them would actually be invited, Uther Pendragon had made sure that his people would be able to have festivities of their own.

Camelot was so busy with preparations that no one seemed to notice a lone traveler making his way through the city towards the castle. If they had, perhaps they would have thought nothing of it, but anyone with a keen sense of observation might have noted that he was no stranger to these parts. He asked directions of no one and seemed to know exactly where he was going and who he was looking for. They would have been correct.

It had been almost three years since he was last in Camelot, but he could not easily forget the ways of the city nor did he struggle to recall which direction to take. The city had changed little since he had last seen it, except that it was doing much better than even he could have hoped. How he loved this place! Not because he had grown up there, but because it held the greatest treasure that his heart desired.

As he approached the castle, the man hesitated. He had no idea how he would be received. He did not doubt that the king would have him thrown in the stocks or in prison or kick him out of the city without a second thought. Their last meeting had not been a pleasant one. But it was not the king, he had come to see.

After a full minute of second guessing his decision to come, he gathered up the courage and entered. The guards paid him little attention. They cast him a brief glance and decided that he was no threat, as he seemed to be weaponless. They were wrong. He carried a word, hidden under this cloak, but he had no intention of using it unless it was absolutely necessary, which he hoped it would not be. He had not come here to fight, merely to talk.

As he approached the Great Hall, he could hear voices. He could not tell what they were saying, but he recognized them easily. There were three of them: the king, Merlin, and...and Gwen. He felt as if he could fly just listening to her voice. He hesitated then went into the hall. No one seemed to notice his arrival.

Sure enough, there she was, chatting amiably with Merlin and the king. The man was surprised. He had heard of course that she was now the king's new ward and his heir, but until this moment, he had not really believed it. It just seemed...so out of character for Uther.

The man just stared at her. She was even more beautiful then he remembered, if that was possible. She was no longer dressed like a simple servant, instead he wore the most beautiful gown he had ever seen. It was of a light purple that went well with her dark skin. Her hair was up and a few ringlets of curls fell about her face.

She turned to Merlin, and the man was surprised by the change in him as well. Merlin was now dressed like a nobleman, wearing a dark blue and pointed hat, which both he and Gwen were obviously making fun of.

"Are you really going to wear that to the banquet, Merlin?" she gave the hat and playful poke. Merlin pretend to look offended.

"Why of course, I am! Every wizard needs a pointy hat, Gwen." Gwen laughed, which brought smiles to both Merlin and the man watching them unobserved.

"Then what about a staff, Merlin?" asked Uther. The king hadn't changed much in appearance, but he smiled more easily then he used to, even if that smile hid some sadness. A sadness, that Gwen and Merlin shared, the man noted.

Merlin pretended to thing about it. "I don't know, but a staff may come in handy. Hello there!" he had spotted the man, and felt as if he knew him, even though he could not see his face, as he wore a hood.

Gwen and Uther turned to see who he was talking to, and they both felt the same. "Do we know you?" asked the Uther, not unkindly.

Without a word, the man put down his hood revealing his face. Uther's eyes widened in surprise, Merlin's jaw dropped, and Gwen gasped. For a moment there was complete silence. Finally Merlin spoke. "Lancelot?"

Lancelot was relieved that the recognized him. He had had many adventures (and misadventures) since he had last seen him and his was much weather beaten. He bowed to the king as was his duty and then met Gwen's eyes. He frowned slightly, for in them was an expression he could not read. She was obviously surprised to see him and happy too, but there was something else...regret?

"I have journeyed for a long time." he began to explain, before they could ask him any questions. "I have only recently learned of the death of Prince Arthur. I am sorry for your loss, your majesty. He was a good man."

At the mention of Arthur, Merlin quickly glanced at Gwen and then looked away. It was hard enough that Arthur was dead, but to be reminded of that fact by the very man Gwen had once hurt Arthur with, that was especially painful to her and Merlin knew it. He suddenly thought he understood why Lancelot had come back and it did not make Merlin pleased to see him. He had come to offer sympathy, but instead to win Arthur's love now that Arthur himself was dead.

Gwen knew that as well and it made her want to cry, but she did her best to remain calm. Uther, on the other hand, knew nothing of this and accepted Lancelot's sympathy. "Why don't you stay for the banquet?" he offered.

Merlin bit his lip. He felt anger boiling up inside him, but it was not his place to say anything. Gwen remained silent as well. Lancelot cast her a brief glance, and then heartily accepted the offer, much to both Merlin and Gwen's dismay.


	2. A Matter of the Heart

**Author's Note: I am so sorry for the long wait! I haven't had much time to write lately. Hopefully this chapter will be worth the wait.**

It was with a heavy heart that Gwen retired to her chambers. Her emotions where in a whirl and she needed time alone to think. Gwen took a deep breath, trying to get her thoughts in order. Her heart refused to steady itself.

Lancelot was here. In Camelot! There was once a time when that news would have filled her with unspeakable joy, but that time was long gone. Not that she was unhappy to see him. On the contrary, Gwen was pleased that he was here and she still counted him a friend. Yet...yet, it was the reasoning behind he's reappearance that trouble her.

Did he hope to win her back? If so, he was in for a disappointment. Gwen had long ceased to think of him in a romantic light. Arthur was the only man that she could give her heart to, and now that he was gone, she couldn't even begin to consider loving another.

Lancelot could not have planned his timing any worse. He showed up out of the blue on the very eve of the banquet to honor Arthur's memory! Didn't he have any sympathy for what she was going through? If their places had been reversed, Arthur would never have been that insensitive.

Gwen slept little that night. Her thoughts kept her awake and it was with an even heavier heart that she rose the next morning. After breakfast she wandered the castle, hoping to find Merlin and have a private chat with him, but instead of Merlin, she came across the last person she wanted to see.

"Good morning, Guinevere." As Lancelot called her that, Gwen had a brief flash back of Arthur saying her name very softly the day he first confessed that he had feelings for her. She tried not to cry and Lancelot apparently did not notice that he had caused her any pain.

"Good morning." Gwen tried to get past him, but Lancelot quickly blocked her path. "May I have a word in private?" he asked. Gwen sighed. She knew, or thought she knew, what was coming. _Better to get it over with sooner rather than later, _she decided.

"Very well." She followed Lancelot to the Great Hall, which was surprisingly empty. Lancelot cleared his throat. "I know that you must be going through a lot." _What an understatement, _she thought but kept quiet.

"I did not mean to speak so soon, but I feel that I can no longer keep silent. Gwen, I love you. I always have. You must know this. The only reason I left the second time is because I felt that you would be better off with...him." He wisely decided not to mention Arthur's name in her presence. "And now, I've come back, hoping...hoping that your feelings haven't changed as mine have not. Will you marry me, Gwen?"

Gwen was startled. She had of course expected a declaration of love, but an offer of marriage? Gwen hardly knew how to respond. "Lancelot, your timing is not the best." Lancelot had the decency to look a little ashamed of him. "However, I feel it only right to tell you that, any possibility of a relationship between us, died long before... he did." If he wasn't going to mention Arthur's name, then neither was she.

Lancelot just stared at her in silence for a few moments. "Is there no hope that you may one day change your mind?"

"None," said Gwen, gently for she was very much aware of the pain she was giving him, "but I hope that we can still remain friends." Despite her words, Lancelot did feel some hope. In his mind, she was only saying this because she was grieving.

"Yes," he said eagerly, "we can still be friends."


	3. A Lost Hope

**I apologize once again for the long wait! I hope to be able to update more frequently than I have been.**

Many miles from the city of Camelot, in one of the most remote and poor corners of the kingdom lay the little village of Hyton. It consisted of half a dozen farmers, a blacksmith's forge, and one old church that was in dire need of repair. Most of the inhabitants of Hyton were either under eighteen or over sixty years old.

The oldest, and the poorest, of these was Hilda. A woman had had the good fortune to reach the ancient age of one hundred and five. By the time of Prince Arthur's death, Hilda was lame, as well as blind, but neither of these handicaps prevented her from having a good heart and a talkative tongue. She had once been a mother and a grandmother, aye and a great-grandmother too, many times over, but sadly the only family she had left living was her great-granddaughter Martha and her son Percy.

Martha was a widow in her late thirties and Percy was a good natured boy of twelve, both of them dotted on Hilda and saw that she wanted for nothing, which was easier said then done. They had only a few cows and a small crop, that provided them with so little income, that if it weren't for the generosity of their neighbors, of whom it must be said were almost as poor as they, the three of them would have starved to death.

It was a stormy night the night that their lives changed. The sun had long since set, yet none of them could sleep with the wind howling on high. Percy tossed and turned restlessly on his little bed, which more a bundle of cloths laid on the floor then an actual bed. Finally, he could not take it anymore. "I'm going to check on the cows." he announced getting up and making his way to the door.

"Do be careful!" his mother said, frettingly. Percy assured her that he would and went outside. The rain was pouring and coming down in such gusts, that he was instantly soaked and he could barely see where he was going.

He kept his hand on the wall of the cottage for guidance. He had just assured himself that cows were safe and sound, when he thought he saw a shape. He blinked, but it was still there. Slowly, it got closer and before long Percy could make out the figure of a man without a cloak.

As soon he realized that that it was what he was seeing, the man stumbled and did not get up. "Mother!" he shouted, but soon realized she wouldn't be able to hear him over the wind and the rain. He ran back to the cottage, and rushed inside. "Mother! Come quick there's a man outside and he fell and didn't get up!"

Martha didn't hesitate. She threw a shawl around her shoulders and followed her son outside. It took the two of them a few minutes to find the man, but once they did, they didn't waste any more time getting him inside.

"Who is it?"asked Hilda as soon as they were inside. "Don't know, Granny." answered Percy. "I think he's a stranger."

"And we wouldn't know if we don't get him dry." added Martha. "Percy, get a fire going. Quickly! I think this poor man must be chilled to the done. Who knows how long he's been out there?"

In a few minutes there was a nice fire going in the small fire place and Martha had managed to get the man into some dry clothes, he had gained conscientiousness off and on during this time, but he seemed quite delirious.

"Poor man." said Martha, talking to nobody in particular. "He looks so pale and thin! And so young! He hasn't had a decent meal in days, I should think."

They gently moved him onto Percy's "bed" and the boy slept that night with his mother. It was sometime before any of them fell asleep. Perhaps it was by some strange chance, or maybe contriving of a higher being, but for some reason or other, what both mother and son had failed to notice was the ring that the young man wore. The ring that bore the symbol of the Pendragons.

**I know it's short, but I hope you enjoyed it anyway! BTW, better get used to Martha, Percy, and Hilda. They will have an important part to play. Anyway, please review!**


	4. A Surprising Day

It was well past midday when Prince Arthur awoke and for a minute his fevered brain could not make out where he was. He at last discerned that he was in a cottage. He had no memory of what had happened the previous night, and was at a loss to understand how he had gotten there.

"Ah, so you're awake then?" asked a strange female voice. A voice that sounded old, very old, but not unkind. It certainly did not sound like the voice of one who wished him harm.

Arthur slowly sat up, and looking around the room saw an elderly lady sitting on a old worn out stool a few feet away from him. At first he thought she was looking at him, but then he noticed her eyes. They were the eyes of one who was blind.

"How could you tell?" he asked, trying to sound polite. He had been through a lot in the past year, but he still remembered his upbringing and his manners.

The old lady smiled in his direction. "I may be blind, young man, but I can still hear, you know. I could tell from the sound of your breathing that you had woken up."

Just then the door opened and a young boy with brown hair and lots of freckles came in. His eyes widened when he saw that Arthur was awake. "Mother! He's awake!" The boy's mother, so Arthur assumed, soon followed.

"Well, then, you must be hungry! Would you like something to eat?" she asked him, kindly. Arthur realized that he was starving and hadn't eaten for many hours. "Yes, please, ma'am."

The woman laughed. "You can just call me Martha. This is my son, Percy, and my great-grandmother, Hilda. And you are?"

Neither Martha nor Percy noticed Arthur snatch the ring from his finger and hide it in a pocket. Although he felt sure that they did not mean him any harm, he didn't trust them with his name, as much for their safety as for his. "Tom." He didn't know why, but it was the first name that came to him. He felt a pang of heart when he realized he had just given them the name of his beloved Guinevere's father. Why had he done that?

As he ate, they told him of how they had found him and brought him in. He thanked them most heartily and afterwards Percy took him around the village to meet the rest of the villagers. They had all heard what had happened and were most eager to meet this stranger. They were all so kind and "Tom" felt guilty for not being honest for forthcoming with them.

That night and he couldn't sleep. His mind kept running back and forth between his current situation and his loved ones he had left behind in Camelot. He knew very little of the goings on there. All he knew was that he was presumed dead. He wondered if the letters he had written had been found and given to the intend people.

What had they thought? How had they reacted? It was his father's reaction that he was the most worried about. He knew full well how Uther could be when his temper was aroused. He could only hope that all had gone well.

So anxious was he for news of Camelot that he finally decided to ask Martha and Percy for any news that they might have. So, the very next morning he casually put the question to them.

"I was born in the city," he explained, "but I have been away for a long time and would like to know what has gone on in my absence."

Martha nodded, understandingly. "The kingdom's a different place. Has been since poor Prince Arthur's death." she shook her head sadly. "We all thought his father would do something drastic with himself."

She fell silent, and Arthur feared the worst. "And did he?" he tried to hide the anxiety in his voice. Arthur's question roused Martha from her silence. "Oh, no, but a lot of surprising things did happen."

"Like what?"

"Well, for instance, it turned out that Arthur's servant, Merlin I think he's called, has magic! He kept it a secret all of this time. When word of it got out, everyone believed that the king would have him executed for sure. But he didn't! Instead, he lifted the ban on magic, though the use of dark magic is still punishable by death, and had Merlin made his head counselor and sorcerer!"

If Martha had said that pigs could fly, Arthur could not have been more astonished. His father had lifted the ban on magic? It sounded too good to be true. A smile came to Arthur's face as he tried to imagine Merlin giving his father advice. It could not have happened to a more deserving young man.

"But there's more!" continued Martha. "Uther adopted, of all people, his late ward's maid! A young woman most people didn't even know existed. Gwen, or Guinevere, she's called, and the king has made her is heir. Now what do you think of that?"

Arthur's head was spinning? Guinevere? His father had actually adopted her as his heir? It was obvious that Uther had come to see all the good in her that Arthur had and had come to love her for it. Arthur was delighted. This certainly was a day for surprises.


	5. A Relentless Cause

A shadow had fallen on the land, but no one seemed to have noticed. To them the sun was shining as bright as ever, but the shadow was steadily growing. It would not be long before it would devour everything it touched. Sooner or later, it would have to be dealt with.

Not far from Camelot, in an old castle long forgotten, two women stood peering into a bowl of water. They saw scenes from all over the kingdom, but no matter where they looked, they could not find what it was they were so desperate to find. "Where is he?" exclaimed the older of the two. Her blond hair fell in long curls around her face. The younger remained silent.

In part she was glad that they had failed. She wanted revenge just as the other did, but not like this. "Isn't there some other way, Morgause?" she asked at last. Morgause looked up and caught the look in her eye.

"No, Morgana. We have been through this many times. Arthur Pendragon is the key to all our plans. Your sympathy for him is understandable, yet it has blinded you to the bigger picture."

"It's just," said Morgana softly, "Arthur was like a brother to me. We may have had our quarrels, but he never mistreated me. He's not cruel, like his father."

"That may be, but he was raised to believe his father's lies. If he were to become king of Camelot, he would kill those who use magic, just as his father did."

"But what of the rumors? Is it true that Uther has lifted the ban on magic?"

Morgause snorted in derision. "Yes, but it will not last. Men like him never change. If he were to learn the truth about his son's supposed death, he would reinstate the ban and it would be worse then ever. Besides, many have still died, Morgana. For that Uther Pendragon must be punished."

"I know that, but I just wish we didn't have to use Arthur as the means for Uther's punishment."

"It is the only way." Morgause stated firmly.

"But what of the people of Camelot? Surely it would hardly be fair to punish them for a king's cruelty?"

"The people will not suffer, Morgana, you have my word on that. Only those who serve Uther."

"All of them?" Morgana felt a lump raise in her throat.

"Yes. Those who serve a cruel master must be punished as well. Surely you see this? Besides, what has any of them ever done for you?"

"There's Gaius and..."

"Gaius!" Morgausa laughed mirthlessly. "Gaius." she spat. "He's a traitor. He was once a sorcerer like us, Morgana, but when Uther killed many of our kind did Gaius try to stop him? No! He stood there and watched and he's been serving the king ever since. And when you went to him for help when you discovered you had magic, did he? No. He only gave you more potions."

"But Gwen!" Morgana insisted. "She's been my maid since we were both small children. She's looked after me. Every time I had a nightmare, she was the only who was there to comfort me."

"And when you disappeared, she took your place." Morgana added bitterly.

"That's not true! Gwen is a sweet girl and I can see why even someone as cruel as Uther might take a liking to her in time. Besides, Uther killed her father. She has every reason to hate him as we do."

"Yet she continued to serve in the place." Morgause pointed out.

"Only because she had no other place to go." said Morgana. She was secretly resolved to spare Gwen's life no matter what Morgause said or did.

"And what of Merlin?" asked Morgause, pleased to see the hatred in Morgana's eyes at the mention of his name.

Morgana's jaw tightened and her hands balled into fists, but she remained silent. "He betrayed you, Morgana." Morgause whispered in her ear. "He pretended to be your friend. He kept your secret, but he did he trust you with his? No, he did not. If he had only told you he had magic, you would not have been so alone. Then what does he do? He poisoned you, Morgana. When you needed him the most, he tried to kill you."

"Enough!" Morgana screamed and backed away from her half-sister. "I know what he was done, and I swear I will make him pay for it. I hate him more than anyone in the world, even Uther. Merlin will suffer."

Morgause smiled. "Good."


	6. Duty or Happiness?

"He did what?" Merlin nearly exploded in his rage. Gwen put her hand on his shoulder, trying to calm him down. He realized, but only a little. "The audacity of... of that man!" Merlin couldn't even speak Lancelot's name. "He comes here after a year, on the eve of the banquet and asks you to marry him! He doesn't have any honor and dignity at all?"

Gwen sighed. "I don't think he intended to hurt us like this, Merlin. Lancelot is a good man. He just wasn't thinking."

Merlin snorted. "Clearly, but doing something out of thoughtlessness is just as bad as doing it knowingly, Gwen. There is no excuse for this behavior. I'm glad you turned him down."

Gwen was silent and Merlin began to fear the worst. "You did turn him down, didn't you?" Gwen had tears in her eyes.

"Of course I did, Merlin, but..." she hesitated, unsure how to say this, "since then I've come to realize that...that one day, I will have to marry. I am Uther's heir now and as such it is my duty to marry so that I can one day produce an heir to the throne."

Merlin was shocked. "Forget about duty, Gwen! Marrying someone because of duty is not right. It wouldn't be fair...to either of you. Though Lancelot hardly desires fair treatment." he added bitterly.

"Don't do it, Gwen." he pleaded. "For your sake, don't. Arthur wouldn't want you to and I know Uther wouldn't want it either."

Gwen knew Merlin was right, but wasn't she as well? The kingdom would need a heir. What would happen if she remained unwed? What would happen to the kingdom after both she and Uther were gone? There was more at stake then just her own happiness.

Merlin wondered the halls with no particular purpose in mind. He let his mind wander over the events of the last year. Arthur was dead. It was still hard to believe. Even now he still caught myself expecting to hear his voice or to see him rounding the corner. It was painful. Every time he remembered that Arthur was dead, it felt like when he had first learned the horrible news the first time.

He had failed. It had been his destiny to keep Arthur safe, but now Arthur was dead. Merlin was nothing but a failure. Why anyone would still want him around was beyond him. He caught a sob as it rose in his throat, and he forced his mind away from Arthur and back to the present.

Lancelot. The man had once saved Merlin's life and in return he had helped Lancelot fulfill his dreams by becoming a knight. An action whose consequences still seemed to come back to him. He had once considered Lancelot a friend and in some ways he still was. But he was not Arthur. No one, not even Lancelot, would be able to replace him.

Merlin was troubled. He knew that Lancelot loved Gwen, but his timing was such that Merlin could not but be angry at him. Merlin doubted that his words had had much effect on Gwen. He knew her too well for that.

At times she could be easily persuaded but at others she could be extremely stubborn, and Merlin feared that this would turn out to be one of those times.

He needed some one to talk to. He couldn't tell Uther what had happened, but Gaius would understand and would give him so good advice. Merlin felt a little guilty when he realized that he had been unintentionally ignoring his old mentor of late.

Merlin found Gaius in his rooms, pouring over some old books. He didn't hear Merlin come in and started when he felt the young man's hand on his shoulder. "Merlin! I thought you had forgotten about me."

"No, Gaius. I could never do that, but I am sorry I haven't been to see you lately."

The old man waved away the apology. "It's quite alright, Merlin. I know you've been busy, what with preparations for the banquet and all. And I've heard that we've received an unexpected visitor. Is it true that Lancelot has returned?"

Merlin grimaced. "Yes. Unfortunately." Gaius raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"Unfortunately? I thought that you would have been glad to see him again."

"So did I." replied Merlin honestly. "But it's the reasoning and timing behind his visit that annoys me. He...he asked Gwen to marry him."

"He what?" Gaius could not have been more surprised than if Merlin had been the one to propose. "I loves Gwen? I had no idea!"

"Oh, he's loved her since the first time he was hear." With that Merlin told Gaius all about Lancelot's feelings for Gwen, the incident involving Arthur, Lancelot's proposal, Gwen's refusal, and finally about Gwen had said about marrying for duty.

"I've tried to persuade her against it, but I fear that she is still contemplating it. What should I do, Gaius?"

The old man sighed. "Matters of the heart are serious things. I do agree that Gwen should not marry Lancelot out of duty, but that is for her to decide and her alone. You've told her what you thought and that is all you can do. Does Uther know of this?" 

"No." said Merlin. "I haven't told him. I don't think he even knows that Lancelot loves her."

"Good," said Gaius. "He has enough to bear already. I think it best not to tell him just yet."


	7. Hope or Despair?

Uther sat on this throne, his face in his hands. A whole year had passed, yet Uther still grieved for his only son. Arthur had been his greatest treasure, and fate had cruelly snatched him away. _It isn't right, _thought Uther, _I should have gone first. That is the way it should be._

"Oh, Arthur!" he said aloud to the empty room. "If only you were here." Arthur would have enjoyed the time of peace that the land was going through. He would have been delighted by the numerous changes. _But,_ Uther reminded himself, _those changes only came as a result of his death. Alas, that it should have taken Arthur's death to make me realize what a tyrant I had become._

"Sire?" Uther started and looked up to see Gwen kneeling in from front of him, her hand on her arm. "Are you ill?" she asked with much concern.

He shook his head. "No," he assured her, patting her hand, "I was just thinking about Arthur. How I miss him!"

"As do we all, sire." she said softly. "So do we all."

A knock on the door, reminded them that they had duties to attend to. "Come on." said Uther. Sir Leon entered and bowed first to the king, "Sire." and then to Gwen, "My lady."

"What is it?" asked Uther.

"Sire, we have received recent reports of raiders attacking some of the outlying villages. We have reason to believe that the leader of these raiders is Alvarr."

Uther stiffened. Even though he had removed the ban on magic, Alvarr was still an outlaw. He had tried to usurp his king after all. Various rumors had been circulating about him ever since his escape.

"Send out some of your best knights, Sir Leon. I want Alvarr caught once and for all."

Sir Leon bowed. "Yes, sire. I'll see to it at once." He bowed again. As he left he brushed past Lancelot who came into the room. Gwen saw him, but could not meet his gaze.

"Ah, Lancelot!" said Uther, greeting him kindly. "I hope you will forgive my behavior towards you the last time we met. You only wished to serve, I see that now."

Lancelot bowed. "You are most kind, sire. There is nothing to forgive. As you say, I only wish to serve."

"Well, then Sir Lancelot," Lancelot smiled when he heard the title, "I've just heard that a man called Alvarr, who happens to be a threat to myself and Camelot, is raiding villages. Sir Leon is dispatching a group of knights to hunt him down. Perhaps you would care to join them?"

Gwen looked at Uther in surprise. Was he trying to get rid of Lancelot, or was he honestly allowing Lancelot to fulfill his dreams.

"I would be delighted and honored to do so, sire."

"Then go report to Sir Leon at once."

Lancelot bowed. "Sire. My lady." He turned and left. Gwen released a breath that she hadn't even known she was holding.

"Was that wise, sire?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean you barely know him. It has been more than two years since he was last here. A man may change a lot in that time. Do you really trust him enough to let him go on this mission?"

"Yes," said Uther. "Yes, I do."

Gwen didn't know whether to feel hope or despair. Hope that Lancelot was to be trusted, but despair that he might not be. _He's so different. He's not the same man I remember. _


	8. Love or Cry?

**Author's Note: So sorry for the long wait, but classes started last week and I am getting into the swings of things. Anyway, season 3 starts on Sept. 11! Hooray!**

"_Don't go, Arthur. Please!" Her eyes pleaded with him and he wanted nothing more than to give into them, but he knew he couldn't. He had to go. It was the right thing to do. He would never be able to forgive himself if he stayed._

"_I'm sorry, Guinevere, but I have to. We're at war and my men look to me for leadership. If I stayed behind I would be failing not only them, but the people as well. How can I be a good king if I can't even go to war to protect my kingdom?"_

_She sighed and a tear fell down her cheek. He reached out and gently wiped it away. "Alright." she said reluctantly. "I wouldn't ask you again and to be perfectly honest I am proud of you, Arthur." He felt his heart beat faster at her words. "It's...I'm just afraid...afraid that something might happen to you and I couldn't bear that."_

_He gently wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a hug. "I know, I know." he said softly. "But I need you to be strong. Please. It is bad enough knowing I may never come back, but seeing you cry is making it infinitely harder." _

_She nodded, not trusting herself to speak. They stood in silence for several seconds. Finally, they pulled away reluctantly. "I love you." she said simply. He nodded. _

"_I love you too. More than words can express." He turned and headed towards the door. He put his hand out to open it and then back to look at her one last time. She put on a brave smile. He couldn't stop himself;he went over to took her in his arms once more and kissed her passionately. Then he torn himself away and ran from the room, afraid he would never leave if he look back again._

Arthur woke to find that he had been crying. Tears stained his cheeks. He quickly wiped them away with his sleeve. He glanced around the room and was glad to see that he hadn't waken the others with his crying. It was the middle of the night and Martha, Percy, and Hilda were all still fast asleep.

He sighed and closed his eyes and instantly an image of Guinevere appeared in his mind. He shook his head, trying to get the image out of his head, but it refused to leave. "Oh, Guinevere!" His body shook and eventually cried himself back to sleep.

"_So, you're really leaving?" asked Merlin. He spoke lightly, but Arthur knew him well enough by now to know that he was struggling to control his emotions. He refused to look Arthur in the eye as he spoke. _

"_Yes." Arthur replied, his voice also devoid of emotion. If Merlin wanted to play this game, then fine. Arthur would just play along. It should have been easy. They had been pretending for years now. They both knew they were friends, brothers in all but name. Yet, they both acted like they weren't. It made things easier that way. Easier for those around them, but harder on them both. _

_But now it was more difficult than ever. "Well, take care of yourself." said Merlin, still refusing to look Arthur in the face. Arthur nodded. He turned to leave and suddenly realized that he didn't care what others thought. Merlin was his friend and if anyone didn't like it, then that was there problem. He was sick and tired of pretending._

_He turned back around. "Merlin?" His friend finally looked at him and Arthur could swear that he saw a tear. "Thanks. For everything." Merlin blinked in surprise. "You take care of yourself too. That's an order." Merlin smiled, but it was weak. _

"_Yes, sire." Arthur simply and nodded and left the room without another word. _

"Wake up, sleepy head!" Arthur opened his eyes and saw Percy standing over him. The young boy grinned. "Mother's made breakfast." Arthur got up and followed Percy to the table.

It was certainly the smallest breakfast that Arthur had ever eaten, but he knew better than to comment on the fact. Instead he ate his food in silence and was suddenly remained of the time Merlin had "stolen" some of his food away, claiming it was to keep Arthur in shape. Arthur nearly choked thinking of it, but thankfully the others didn't seem to notice.

After breakfast, Arthur helped Martha clean up the house. It wasn't a chore that he was used to, but it kept his mind occupied and off those he had left behind. As he worked, he couldn't help but notice how poor they were and it went to his heart. _When I return to Camelot, _he thought, _I will do everything I can to make sure they are no longer in need._

"Hey, Tom!" Arthur turned to see Percy standing in the door way. "Want to see the pony?" Arthur looked at Martha who nodded and shooed him out of the house. He turned to follow the young boy outside.

Arthur soon learned that the village was so poor that there was only one pony in the whole place. An old animal that everyone shared and took turns using. Today it was Percy and Martha's turn. The poor beast looked half-starved and near death.

"His name's Samson." declared Percy proudly, as if Samson were a the finest war horse instead of a worn out old pack horse.

Arthur watched in silence as Percy petted and feed the poor animal. _There must be something I can do to make life better for these people._ Percy smiled and waved at him and Arthur found himself waving back.

"_How soon will you return?" Uther sat on his throne, gazing intently at his son who stood before him. Arthur's eyes were on the floor and not on his father. _

"_Three or four days." he answered. Neither spoke for some time, the unspoken "or not at all" hung between them. Both of them knew it, but neither wanted to address that fact that Arthur may never return._

"_Well, have a safe journey and I'll see you then." Arthur nodded, his gaze still on the floor. He turned to leave, but stopped when Uther suddenly called his name. He turned back to see Uther rise from this throne. _

_The king walked over to him and pulled him into a tight embrace. "Be safe." Uther's voice was cracking and Arthur could tell he was fight back tears. Arthur blinked and found that tears were threatening to fall back from his own eyes. "My son." Uther pulled away and held Arthur's shoulder at arm's length. "I am so proud of you."_

_Arthur nodded. "Thank you, Father." Uther turned and waved Arthur off, and as Arthur walked towards the door of the Great Hall, he could hear his father's sobs echoing all the walks. _

"Tom?" Arthur looked up to see Martha staring at him, concern in her eyes. He hadn't seen her come outside. "You alright? I forgot you're still recovering. You want to lie down and get some sleep?"

He shook his head. "No, thanks. I'm fine. I was just...remembering." He tried to smile, but it felt fake. "Thanks for checking anyway."

"You weren't remembering...anything too painful, were you?" Arthur could sense her motherly concern and suddenly felt a longing for his own mother who had died shortly after his birth.

"No," he lied softly, "nothing too painful."

_Arthur mounted his horse and looked around at his knights. He sighed. There weren't nearly enough of them, but they would have to make due. "I wish Sir Leon was coming." The knight had been seriously wounded during the encounter with the dragon and hadn't fully recovered yet. Gaius had strongly advised him against going and Uther had listened to him and commanded Sir Leon to remain behind. _

"_Good luck, sire." Arthur turned to see Gaius standing at his side. Arthur suddenly realized how much he respected and cared for the old man. Without Gaius, his father would doubtless destroyed the kingdom in his never ending quest for sorcerers. _

"_Thank you, Gaius." He caught something out of the corner of his eye and peered over his shoulder. His father, Merlin, and Guinevere stood on the steps of the castle. Uther didn't seem to notice the two servants were there, he had only eyes for his son. All of them had tears in their eyes, but they all put on brave smiles and waved._

_Arthur smiled and waved back. I'll come back, he thought, I have to. For them. Unable to stand it any longer, he turned around and urged his horse forward. "Move out!" he shouted, and galloped out of the city with his knights right behind him._

Arthur felt the tears pouring down his face. He quickly wiped them away before anyone had a chance to notice. Martha and Percy were laughing about something and Arthur smiled in spite of himself.

"How long you plan on staying?" Arthur turned, startled and saw Hilda making her way around house, feeling her way with an old cane in one hand while she used the other to feel the wall of the house. He jumped up from where he had been sitting, planning on helping her, but then realized she probably didn't need help. "How did you know I was here?"

"I heard you breathing and since I can tell Martha and Percy are over there," she waved her hand in their direction, "I figured it was you. Now, answer the question."

Arthur shrugged, but then remembered she couldn't see him. "I don't know. It doesn't seem like a nice, friendly place and I wouldn't mind staying, but I do need to get back home, and soon."

The old woman nodded. "I understand. But don't leave too quickly, or we might think you're in a hurry to get rid of us."

"I won't." Arthur promised. "I'm still not completely well enough to travel, not for a few days more yet at any rate."

"What do you look like?" she asked suddenly.

"Well, I have blond hair and blue eyes." answered Arthur, surprised by her question.

"Are you good looking?"

He laughed. "Well, I have been told I am."

She smiled. "Good answer. If you had said yes, I would have said you are an arrogant youngster, and if you had said no, I would have said you have false modesty, but as it is, I'll just go with yes without the arrogance."

"Thanks." He said, feeling slightly amused. The old woman reached out her hand and felt for him. When she reached him, she patted him on the shoulder.

"I believe you have a good heart, Tom. Don't ever change."

It was perhaps a good thing she was blind, or else she would not have failed to notice the change that came over him. Words from the past echoed through his mind. "_You have a good heart, Arthur." said Guinevere. "Don't ever change. Not for anyone."_

He swallowed. "Thank you." The old woman patted him once more and then walked on towards where Martha and Percy still stood laughing merrily.

Arthur sighed and went inside. He sat down on his "bed" and let the tears fall. "I'll come back to you, Guinevere, Merlin, Father. I'll come back to you all."


	9. Fight or Flight?

_Screams. Blood. Everywhere he turned the bodies of the dead littered the ground. Arthur felt sick to his stomach, but he had to keep going. He limped, his injured leg causing him to wince with every movement. He had to keep going. He was the only one left. All of his men were dead, slaughtered. The battled hadn't been a battle at all, but an ambush. They never stood a chance. He limped on. He had to keep going, he had to make it. _

_He knew that at this rate it would take days to make it back to Camelot, but he had to try. Someone had to let his father know what had happened. Someone had to tell his knight's families that their loved ones would never be coming back. He moved slowly through the battlefield. He gritted his teeth against the pain and forced himself to keep moving onward. "You can do this." he told himself. "You are Arthur Pendragon, prince of Camelot." _

_He hadn't gone far before his breathing became hard and labored. His lungs hurt and Arthur realized that they must have been wounded during the battle. He had to get help and quickly, but he did not know how far away he was from the nearest village. _

_He blinked. Was that...? He blinked again. He was sure that he had seen a dark form moving among the dead. Had one of his men survived the slaughter? "Hey!" he called, weakling already sinking to his knees. The form turned towards him and approached. _

_The form was hooded and cloaked. Arthur could not see his face. By the time the figure had found him, he was lying on his back. "Please...help me." The figure did not reply, instead it knelt down over him, and then slowly removed the hood. Arthur gasped, but not from pain. It was impossible. _

"_Hello, Arthur." Arthur found he couldn't speak for several seconds. He just stared in disbelief at the familiar face above him._

"_Morgana?" he croaked. "How...we all thought you were dead." _

_She chuckled. "No, Arthur. I've been very much alive. Unfortunately, for you, you are the one who is going to be mourned now."_

_Arthur frowned puzzled. "What do you mean?"  
_

"_I mean, Arthur, that all of Camelot will believe you died here on this field, fighting to protect them."_

"_But I didn't! I'm still alive."_

"_Yes, you are, but they will not know that. Isn't that right, Morgause?" Arthur stiffened as the familiar sorceress appeared as if from nowhere.  
_

"_Indeed." she smiled, her smile was full of cruelty. "Poor Arthur will never see his family again." _

_Arthur's head was spinning. First Morgana was alive, but now she was in league with the very sorceress who had kidnapped her. How could this have happened? Morgause muttered from strange words and Arthur's world went black._

The sound of screams reached his ears and at first Arthur thought it was just another memory coming back to plague him. But then he heard Percy screaming for his mother, and Arthur threw himself off the "bed" and rushed outside. Men on horse back were riding through the village with swords drawn. Some were chasing some of the villagers while others were destroying some of the houses and crops.

Arthur felt his blood beginning to boil. How he wished he had his sword with him! He would love to teach these raiders a lesson they would never forget.

"Search everywhere!" That voice. Arthur turned and quickly hid behind the house. He cautiously peered around the corner. Sure enough, it was Alvarr, giving the orders. Arthur hissed through his teeth.

"He's got to be here somewhere!"

A lump grew in Arthur's throat when he realized that it was him they were searching for. He knew why Alvarr wanted him and he had intention of ever returning to the prison where he had lived for the last year. But when he looked at all the helpless villagers whose homes were being destroyed. He had to stop this!

But the only way to do so was to give himself in, and if he did that then Morgana and Morgause could use him for their evil plan and all of Camelot would be in danger. It was a hard choice and not one that Arthur knew immediately how to solve.

It was with a great pang of heart that he realized he had to sacrifice this one village in order to save the whole kingdom. He blinked a few tears away that were beginning to form in his eyes.

He glanced towards Percy, Martha, and Hilda who were all huddled together with the rest of the villagers who were crying and pleading with Alvarr and his men to stop. They were ignored.

"Put them with the others!" Alvarr ordered. Arthur looked where he was pointing and let out an involuntary gasp. There were more raiders lots more than Arthur had first realized and they were guarding a large group of people. Arthur realized that they were people from other villagers that had been forced from their homes, but that was not why he had gasped. He recognized some of those villagers. He had worked with them in Ealdor. He quickly scanned the group and soon spotted Hunith.

Her eyes were down cast, but even from where he was Arthur could tell that she had been crying. _I have to help her. I have to help them._

"He's not here." said one of Alvarr's men and the sorcerer threw up his hands in frustration.

"Where is he?" he bellowed, causing all the villagers to flinch. "Move out!"

As the guards and the villagers began to move, Arthur slipped out from behind the house and stealthily was able to slip between two of the guards and into the group of villagers. They were moving slowly and Arthur pushed past some of them and made his way over to Hunith. He lay a hand on her shoulder.

Startled she turned around and her eyes widened in disbelief. Arthur quickly put a figure to his lips and she nodded. Arthur didn't know if it was just his imagination, but she suddenly didn't seem so downcast as she was a few seconds ago. Indeed the sight of him seemed to fill her with hope.

"We all thought you were dead." she whispered to him.

"I know." he whispered back and looked around and was relieved to see that no one else seemed to pay them any attention. "It was a trick. It was Morgana's doing."

"Morgana?" Hunith couldn't believe what she was hearing. "But isn't Morgana dead? We all thought she died some months before you did."

Arthur shook his head. "No. She's in hiding with a sorceress named Morgause. The two of them are planing on destroying Camelot, and faking my death was part of their evil plan. I was their prisoner up until a few days ago when I managed to escape."

"So, it's you they're looking for?"

Arthur nodded. "If they find me, Camelot is doomed, not just the city, but the whole kingdom."

"You took a great risk then," Hunith told him, "casting your lot with us. You should have left us to fend for ourselves and made your way back to Camelot."

Arthur shrugged. "Probably, but Merlin would never forgive me if I left his mother in danger."

"No," she agreed softly, "he wouldn't."


	10. Dream or Reality

"Where is he!" Morgause's question came out more of a screech and Alvarr flinched. Man, how he hated working with this sorceress! If it weren't for the facts that she was paying very handsomely and that it was the only way to get revenge, he would have left her service long ago.

"We searched every village in the area and he is nowhere to be found." He tried to hide his irritation behind a mask of indifference. He was relieved to see that he had fooled Morgause but discomforted to find that Morgana had seen through his pretense as she smiled wryly at him. Thankfully she remained silent.

"You've brought all these villagers with you?" Morgause demanded. Alvarr sighed and nodded. "Let me see them. Where are they?"

"Outside. My men are guarding them."

Morgause snorted in derision and disgust. "We'll see about that. I trust your men just as much as trust you: very little."

Alvarr rolled his eyes as Morgause swept past him. Morgana noticed the gesture and smiled at him. "She can be rather annoying at times, can't she?" she whispered to him before she turned and followed her half-sister outside. Alvarr merely nodded and then followed her out.

Morgause looked at the villagers with an air of disdain. "My, they sure are a rather poor and run down group, aren't they, Morgana?"

"Yes. They are." Alvarr sent her a quickly glance, noticing that her tone didn't entirely match her words. _She pities these people,_ he realized.

Morgause gestured to the nearest guard. "Bring them before me. One at a time." she ordered. He nodded.

Each villager was brought before Morgause. She studied them each closely and once she was done with one, he/she was put into a different group. This took a long time and finally there were only two villagers left.

The first was a woman and as she was brought before Morgause, Morgana gasped. Morgause turned to her with a questioning look in her eyes. "This is Hunith." Morgana told her. "Merlin's mother."

"Really?" Morgause looked at Hunith with interest. "Then she will be of great use to us. Take her to the dungeon."

"You traitor!" Hunith spat at Morgana, as two of the guards began to lead her away. "You were the king's ward! He trusted you, Merlin trusted you. He was a friend to you!"

"Then, why," asked Morgana, her voice suddenly as cold as steel, "did he try to kill me?"

"You lie."

"I am telling the truth. Take her away." Hunith struggled and managed to kick one in the shin, causing the remaining guards to come to their help. Only Hunith noticed the last villager slipping into the nearby forest and she instantly calmed. _Go, sire, run! _

She was greatly relieved when her captors seemed to have forgotten that there had been another villager.

Arthur watched from behind a tree as Hunith and the rest of the villagers were lead into Morgause and Morgana's dark castle. He shivered to think what would happen to them.

Every impulse of his was telling him to go in there and rescue them, but he knew better. To do so would be suicide. The only way that he could help them would be to return to Camelot.

It would be a long journey, but that didn't matter. With a sigh of disappointment, he turned and wondered through the forest. He hadn't gotten far, when he heard the sound of hoof-beats. He followed the sound and soon came upon a path. He ducked behind another tree as an army of riders came thundering on horses.

He glanced at them and gasped with delight. He recognized the knights of Camelot, but more over he recognized who was leading them. _Sir Leon!_ He smiled and was just about to step out and reveal himself, when he spotted another man. He froze.

_Lancelot._ To say that Arthur was surprised to see him, would be an understatement. At first he thought that his mind was playing tricks, but no. Lancelot was really there. How could he be there?

Arthur wasn't sure how he felt about this new development. The last time he had seen him, Lancelot had been in love with Guinevere and he had left her. The thought made Arthur angry and the anger gave him courage. "Hello, there!" he shouted. Knights of Camelot!"

The knights, Sir Leon, and Lancelot all pulled their horses to a halt. Every man drew his sword. "Who's there?" Sir Leon demanded. "Reveal yourself!"

Arthur stepped out from behind the tree and couldn't but smile when he saw all the shocked looks on their faces. "Hello."

Sir Leon was the first to recover. "Prince Arthur." he whispered the name in absolute disbelief, yet hope. "I must be dreaming."

Arthur laughed. "It is no dream, I assure you. I am as real as you all are." Sir Leon dismounted and went over to the prince. He slowly raised his arm and touched Arthur's shoulder, assuring himself that Arthur was indeed real.

He fell to the ground. "Sire!" The rest of the knights dismounted and followed his example. "Sire!" Arthur noticed that Lancelot did this reluctantly.

"Arise, knights of Camelot!" _And ex-knights._ They all slowly rose to their feet. Sir Leon stared at Arthur in silence for a few seconds, then threw his arms around him in an embrace.

Arthur started and Sir Leon quickly pulled away. "Forgive me, sire! It's...it's just...it is wonderful to see you...alive."

Arthur smiled. "There is nothing to forgive, and I too am delighted to see you, though surprised." As he spoke this last word his eyes fell on Lancelot, who shifted uncomfortably under his gaze.

"But how, sire," said Sir Leon, "may I ask are you still alive? We were told that no one survived. We even found your body. We buried you, sire."

Arthur shook his head. "Magic. They used it make one of the enemy's bodies look like mine."

"They, sire?"

"Morgause...and Morgana."

"Morgana?" Sir Leon stepped back in surprise. "But...we thought she was dead too...so, she isn't? She's a sorceress?"

Arthur nodded. "Unfortunately, yes. She and Morgause are planning on getting vengeance."

"But your father lifted the ban on magic!"

"So, I've heard, but they don't care. They want him to pay for all those who were already killed before he lifted the ban."

Sir Leon sighed. "This is grim news, my lord. Come, we must get you back to Camelot."

Arthur shook his head. "I would like nothing more, honest, but I can't. Not yet. Morgause and Morgana's castle is nearby and they have taken prisoners from several villagers. One of them is Merlin's mother. We must rescue them."

Sir Leon nodded. "Very well. As my lord commands."


	11. The Memory

"_Sire." Uther lifted his head to see Sir Leon standing before him. The knight looked like he had been crying and the king felt a sudden fear clinch at his heart. He could barely speak or breath for a full minute._

"_Arthur?" he finally managed to say the name. Sir Leon just shook his head, not trusting himself to speak. A cry of anguish tore from Uther's throat. He staggered and fell out of his throne. He would have hit the floor, but Sir Leon's reflexes were quick and he managed to caught the king. _

_Uther just sobbed as Sir Leon held onto him. Neither moved nor spoke. Five minutes passed and Uther suddenly recovered his dignity. He stood up and wiped the tears from his eyes. "Let me see his body."_

_Sir Leon nodded and led his king to Arthur's room, where they had lain his body on his bed. Uther immediately went up to it and kissed his son on the forehead. "Farewell, Arthur." Then he broke down and held his beloved son's body as he wept. Sir Leon discretely left the room._

Uther aimlessly wandered the banquet hall. There was no purpose to his movements and he just let his mind wander. He wasn't thinking of anything in particular and he didn't notice when Gaius quietly entered the room.

The old man watched his king in silence for a few minutes before clearly his throat. Uther turned and seeing him, greeted him warmly. "Ah, Gaius! How does the Hall look?"

"It looks splendid, sire." He admired the decorations. "It will do very well for the Banquet. How soon do you expect your guests to start arriving?"

"Any minute, Gaius. Any minute."

"I have heard, my lord, that...um...Lancelot has returned to Camelot. Is he to stay for the Banquet?"

"You have heard correctly, Gaius. Lancelot will be here, but right now he is with Sir Leon and the rest of the knights, trying to track down Alvarr and his raiders."

Gaius looked at Uther in surprise. "Really? I'm please to see you trust him enough for such a misson."

"Yes, I was rather too harsh on him the last time he was here."

"Indeed, sire."

"Was there anything you wanted, Gaius?"

"Oh, not really. That is to say...I just wanted to make sure you were faring alright. I know this time of year must be difficult for you."

"Thank you, Gaius." Uther gave him a small smile. "I'm doing well enough. I do miss him and it hurts to think of him, but I will survive."

Gaius nodded in understanding. "Of course, sire."

_Merlin couldn't concentrate on his chores. He was clumsier than usual and no matter what he did, he made a mess out of it. He knew that if Arthur had been there, he would have given him a good scolding. I probably deserve it too, he told himself, but still he could not keep his mind focused on his chores. Whenever ever he recalled it to whatever he was supposed to be doing, it would go galloping off after Arthur again. _

_Right now he was supposed to be mopping Gaius' floor, but it was looking worse than when he had started. The door opened and Gaius entered the room, he took one look at the floor, then looked at Merlin._

_The young sorcerer expected his mentor to lecture him about his laziness, but instead all Gaius said was, "You've heard?"_

"_Heard what?" asked Merlin suddenly curious, but also gratefully relieved that it looked like he would escape being yelled at, at least for now._

"_So you haven't heard?"_

"_Heard what?" Merlin repeated. Gaius looked at him with immense pity in his eyes, and Merlin instantly knew something was wrong._

"_Arthur's dead." the old man said simply. He didn't try and sugarcoat it, or break it too him gently. He just stated the fact._

_Merlin's feet collapsed out from under him and he suddenly found himself sitting on Gaius' floor, which was still very wet, but he didn't seem to notice. All he felt was emptiness and confusion. "Arthur's dead." Gaius had said, but Merlin couldn't get his mind around that fact._

_Gaius just stood where he was, patiently waiting for Merlin to speak. Time seemed to pass extremely slowly for both of them. Gaius finally spotted a single tear running down Merlin's cheek. "It can't be." Merlin whispered. _

"_I'm sorry, Merlin, but it is." _

"_No!" Merlin shouted so suddenly and so vehemently that he startled his tutor. "No." he repeated getting to his feet. "It can't be! It was my **destiny** to protect him! He **can't** be dead!"_

"_But you **did **protect him, Merlin." Gaius gently said. "Many times."_

"_But the dragon told me! He said that Arthur would be king of Camelot. He told me that Arthur would unite the lands of Albion, and none of that has happened yet! Arthur **cannot** be dead!"_

_Gaiu sighed. "Come see for yourself, Merlin. They've laid his body in his chambers." The old man turned. Merlin hesitated. Did he really want to see? Did he really? But he need to know for certain. He reluctantly followed Gaius out of the room. _

_They arrived at Arthur's chambers just in time to see Uther leaving them. The king glanced once at Merlin before hurrying away down the Hall. Merlin felt a lump rise in his throat. The king had looked like he had been crying. Not a good sign._

_Gaius nodded at the door and Merlin reluctantly opened it. What he saw when he stepped inside, removed all doubt. Sure enough, there was Arthur's body, lying peacefully on his body. Merlin put a hand to his face as tears came pouring down his face. He turned and fled from the run, rushing past Gaius and down the hall back to his own room._

Merlin watched from one of the windows in Gaius' room and Lancelot and Sir Leon rode out. He shook his head. He still couldn't believe that Uther had allowed Lancelot that opportunity. It just wasn't right! He had to remind himself that Uther knew nothing about what had happened the last time he and Arthur had seen the aspiring knight.

Merlin felt sure that if the king knew about that and about Lancelot's proposal, then he would have sent Lancelot packing instead of out with the rest of the knights. He shook his head once more and then turned away from the window.

The king's guests would be arriving at any moment and he needed to get ready. As the king's new head sorcerer it was his duty to appear presentable, but that's not what motivated him. He was doing this for Arthur.

_Stream rose from the hot water and Gwen found herself sweating with the heat. Today, she found herself on kitchen duty and it was her turn to wash all the royal dishes. There were a lot of dishes! Gwen looked over at the cook and one of the kitchen maids who were busy gossiping instead of doing there work. She sighed. This happened whenever she worked in the kitchen. She ended up with pretty much all the work, while they didn't do anything to help. It was trying her patience, and she knew that sooner or later, one day she was going to burst._

"_It's tragic, that's what it is." she heard the cook, a rather portly old woman named Cornelia, tell the kitchen maid. _

"_But are you sure it's true," asked the kitchen maid, a pale sickly little thing named Dora, "and not just rumor? You know how them soldiers some times care on."_

"_Oh, it's true alright!" said Cornelia. "I saw them bring it in with me own eyes, I did." _

_Dora just shook her head sadly. "Well, then we're all done for. I mean what is the king to do now? What are we all to do? What with his son and heir just having been killed in battle."_

_Splash! The two women turned to see that Gwen had accidentally spilled quite a bit of the soapy dish water on the floor. "Oi!" shouted Cornelia angrily. "Get a mop and clean that up right now!"_

_But Gwen didn't hear her, Dora's words were still echoing in her mind; "...his son and heir just having been killed in battle..."_

_No. It couldn't be true. She suddenly felt very cold and chilled to the bone despite the oppressive heat in the kitchen. She had to get out. She had to get away. Without thinking, she turned and ran from the room, ignoring Cornelia and Dora's angry remarks._

_She ran through the hall, not really thinking about where she was going. She skidded to a halt when she saw that she had come to Arthur's chambers. She quietly opened the door and peeked in. Arthur's body was lying on his bed._

_Not caring if anyone should see her, she rushed to the bed and grabbed his still hand. "Oh, Arthur!" Her tears flowed freely and without restraint. She buried her head on his shoulder and cried while her heart was breaking. _

_She stayed there for hours. She didn't move. She didn't want to. She didn't want to leave. She just wanted to curl up and die. The door opened and Gaius entered the room. She turned towards him slowly, her eyes still wet and red from crying. "Ah." he said gently. "I thought you might be here, when I couldn't find you." _

_He gently laid a hand on her shoulder. "Come, Gwen. It is time you went home." Gwen shook her head. "Gwen," his voice held infinite understanding, "I know you want to stay here, but you need rest." _

"_No!" she said wildly. "I'm staying here."_

"_For Arthur's sake." said Gaius. The words tugged at her heart and she knew she couldn't resist. Arthur would want her to keep on living. So she would, but only for him._

Gwen wandered through the royal grave yard until she found what she was looking for: Arthur's grave. She fingered the flowers she had brought. She bent down and picked up the the dying flowers that were already there and put the fresh ones down. Ever since his death, she had made it a habit of hers to come and put fresh flowers on his grave as often as she could.

"I miss you, Arthur. I miss you more than words can say." She sighed and sat down. "We've been preparing a banquet in your honor. Lots of noble families from the surrounding kingdoms are coming. Like King Olaf and Lady Vivian." She laughed, but it was forced. "I wonder if she is still enchanted with you."

She wiped away a tear. "Lancelot is back. He arrived a few days ago. He...uh...he asked me to marry, but I told him no. I don't love him, Arthur. I never really did."

"Lady Gwen?" She started and turned to see one of the servants standing behind her.

"Yes, what is it?"

"The guests are arriving." Gwen nodded and the servant left. She stood up and glance back at Arthur's grave. "I'll come visit you again soon. I promise."


	12. The Interruption

_Uther moved listlessly back and forth. It had been two days since he had learned of Arthur's death. Since then, he had gotten little sleep and not much to eat. Gaius was worried that the king would starve himself to death. Uther sighed. What was the point in living? His son and heir was dead. _

_I shouldn't have let him go, Uther thought. I should have gone myself. He should have stayed here and been kept safe. Now it's too late. He's gone. Arthur, oh, Arthur! Uther felt like going to the nearest window and throwing himself out of it. _

_He made a move in that direction when a knock on the door, startled him out of his morbid thoughts. "Come in!" he rasped. Sir Leon entered and bowed. Uther noticed that the knight looked as he had been mourning Arthur as much as the king had been. _

"_What do you want?" he asked, not unkindly. _

"_We were going through Prince Arthur's chambers as you instructed, and I found this." He handed Uther a piece of paper._

_Uther looked at it and realized that it was a letter. A letter addressed to him and written in Arthur's hand. He thanked Sir Leon and dismissed him. Once the door closed once more, he looked at the letter in his hand._

_A letter, for him! What could it contain? What was it Arthur had wished to say to him? Trembling, Uther slowly opened it and began to read._

"Uther." The king turned to see that his old friend King Olaf had arrived, along with his daughter, the Lady Vivian. As his eyes fell on her, he suddenly remembered what Arthur had said in regards to her in his letter, and he suppressed a chuckle.

"Olaf. It is good to see you. Welcome to Camelot." He shook the other king's hand. "Lady Vivian."

"Oh, my poor Arthur!" she wailed and nearly collapsed on the floor, drawing attention from everyone in the room.

"_Merlin." No answer. "Merlin." Still nothing. "Merlin!" Merlin started and quickly turned to face his mentor._

"_What?" _

_Gaius sighed. "You've been sitting like that and staring at your soup for the last ten minutes. Are you alright?"_

"_I'm fine."_

"_Merlin-"_

"_I'm fine." he insisted. Gaius sighed once more before letting the subject drop. Merlin was afraid he would start up again and was greatly relieved when a knock on the door distracted him._

"_Come in." The door opened and to both their surprise Sir Leon entered the room. "Can I help you?" asked Gaius politely._

"_We were going through Prince Arthur's things," the knight answered, "when we found this. It's addressed to you, Merlin." _

_Sir Leon held forth a letter. Merlin hesitated, but then reached out and took it. It was in Arthur's hand. "Thank you." he said, his voice rather hoarse._

"_We'll leave you alone to read it." Gaius lead Sir Leon from the room and closed the door behind them. Merlin fingered the letter, then anxious opened it. "Dear Merlin..."_

Merlin nearly jumped out of his skin, then turned and saw Lady Vivian falling to the floor, but she was caught by her father. _Man, can she scream!_ Merlin noticed that Uther looked both amused and concerned.

King Olaf practically dragged his daughter from the Great Hall, apologizing to Uther as he did so. The king merely nodded. Once they were out of sight, he chuckled. He looked up and caught Merlin's eye. They both smiled and then began to laugh, making everyone else wondered what the joke was.

Merlin felt...well, he wasn't sure how he felt exactly. He couldn't put it into words. He missed Arthur more than ever, yet he was enjoying himself and the banquet hadn't officially started yet as there were guests still arriving. _I wish you were here, Arthur._

_Gwen refused to leave her house. Arthur's death was still to fresh in her mind and she knew if she were to go back to the castle now, she would give herself away. Fortunately, Gaius had made excuses for her, so she wasn't missed all that much._

_Right now she was lying in bed and every memory she had of Arthur came to her mind unbidden. She tried not to think of him, but she was finding it impossible not to. He was so much a part of her, that even now that he was dead, she felt as if he were still with her._

_She whipped the tears from her eyes just as knock sounded on her door. She got to her feet and went over to the door. She opened it expecting to see Merlin, but was greatly surprised to see Sir Leon instead. _

"_I beg your pardon, Miss Gwen, but earlier we were going through Prince Arthur's things and we found this letter. It is in his hand and it's addressed to you." _

_She eagerly took the letter that he handed to her. She could tell that he was puzzled as to why the prince of Camelot would write a letter to a servant girl, but she was too excited by this discovery to care right now. She thanked Sir Leon, dismissed him, and sat down to read her letter._

Gwen hurried to the banquet. She was glad to see that she wasn't late as many of the guests had still to arrive. She opened the door to the Great Hall and nearly bumped into King Olaf who as leading Vivian out. The blond was sobbing and wailing. Gwen scuttled pasted them. She scanned the room and spotted Merlin nearby. She made her way over towards him. "What's wrong with Lady Vivian?" she asked.

Merlin shook his head. "Apparently she's still enchanted with Arthur. She's weeping and wailing about his death."

Gwen sighed. "I guess we were right then. She'll be enchanted with him until the day she dies. Poor girl."

Merlin studied Gwen carefully. "How did she insult you?"

"What?" asked Gwen surprised by his question.

"The last time she was here, before either of them had been enchanted, Arthur said something about her being rude to you. What did she say?"

"I cannot recall." Gwen said quickly. A little too quickly.

"Liar."

"Oh, alright! I had just walked into the room and Arthur introduced me. He said I was 'truly one of Camelot's finest.' Then she said then she feared for Camelot."

"Ouch." said Merlin. "He was right though. You still are."

She smiled at him. "Thank you, Merlin."

_It was three days after Arthur's death and it was the day of his funeral. Sir Leon and everyone else there, with the exception of Gaius, were shocked to see that Merlin and Gwen had been allowed to attend. Not only that, but they stood by Uther's side. It was the first time that the three were ever seen in public, but little did anyone realize that it was only the beginning._

"Enjoying yourselves?" Merlin and Gwen smiled as Uther joined them. The two nodded. "Good." The three of them chatting for the next quarter of an hour until all the guests had arrived. Olaf and Vivian returned, the latter looking more calm, but still very pale.

Gwen didn't know whether she should try and catch her eye. She wondered how Vivian felt about the fact that a former maid had been made a king's ward and heir.

Gwen looked all around her at the various people who had come to celebrate Arthur's memory. Many of them she didn't know and she had never seen before. She spotted Gaius sitting a little ways away and he smiled reassuringly at her. Gwen suddenly felt relieved that Lancelot was not there. She did not know she could have stood it if he hadn't gone on the mission with Sir Leon and the rest of the knights.

Uther had just stood up to propose a toast, when the door to the Great Hall was thrown open and two clocked and hooded figures entered. Silence filled the room. For several seconds no one spoke. Finally, it was Uther who broke the silence.

"Who are you?" he demanded. "How dare you interrupt this private celebration?" The entire room watched in silence as the two figures wordlessly let down their hoods. Everyone gasped. Uther dropped the wine goblet. He couldn't believe it. There standing before him, stood Morgana...and Morgause.

"Impossible." he whispered.

_Author's Note: Saw the first episode of season 3 yesterday. YAY! It was absolutely amazing! If you haven't seen it yet, go do so! _


	13. The Return

"Is Tom here?" asked Hilda suddenly. Percy looked around, searching the large group of villagers, but saw no sign of his new friend. All the villagers from the different villages, with the exception of Hunith, were in one large prisoner cell.

"No, Granny, he isn't." he told her. "Maybe he got away." he added hopefully. He even as he said it, he knew the chances were slim. It was much more likely that Tom had been killed trying to escape. Percy whipped away a tear as he imagined his new friend's lifeless body.

Martha played with his hair. "Maybe he did." she told him gently. She hated to give him false hope, but she didn't want to him to think morbid thoughts either. She glanced across at the other cell where Hunith was being held and noticing the other woman watching them, a sad look on her face.

"What's your son's name?" Hunith asked noticing her looking. She couldn't help but think of what Merlin looked like at that age. It had been over two years since she had last seen her son and she missed him dreadfully.

"Percy, after his father."

Hunith smiled. "It's a good name."

Martha noticed the longing in Hunith's eyes. "Do you have a son?" she asked.

Hunith nodded. "Yes, but I haven't seen him in over two years as he lives in Camelot."

"What's his name?"

"Merlin."

Martha started at her in disbelief. "Merlin? As in the king's sorcerer Merlin?"

Hunith's smile widened. Already Merlin was becoming known. "Yes."

"Wow!" said Percy. "That's so amazing! I always wanted to meet him."

"Maybe you will." A new voice rang out clear and strong and everyone turned to see Arthur, Sir Leon, Lancelot, and several of the other knights coming towards them, sword in hand. Arthur of course didn't have his sword, but they group of knights had happened to have a spare and so they gave it to him.

Now, on seeing him, there was a mixture of feelings from the villagers. Hunith was suddenly afraid, not for herself of course, but for the prince whom Camelot had already lost once. Percy and most of the people from his village, were surprised but delighted to see "Tom", for to them that's who he was. Martha and Hilda, who could only hear him, suddenly felt that there was much more to this young man than anyone would have guessed and that he was much more than a simple farmer. The villagers from Elador knew him and instantly and were filled with sudden hope and courage at the sight of him. The remaining villagers just thought he was a knight from Camelot come to rescue them.

Percy was just about to call out to him to greet him, but was stopped when several of the villagers from Elador cried out, "Prince Arthur! It's Prince Arthur! He's alive! He's come to save us!"

Percy looked at the villagers in astonishment then looked back at Arthur his eyes wide. "You're Prince Arthur?" he asked his voice little more than a whisper.

"Yes, Percy." he answered. "I am. I am sorry for deceiving you, but I promise you it was for your own good as much as mine."

"So it was you they were looking for?" asked one of the villagers, his voice rising in anger. Arthur nodded. "Then why didn't you give yourself in?"

"Don't be a fool!" chided Hilda loudly. "If he had given himself up, what good would that have done? None whatsoever! In fact, it would have made things worse. Whatever their plan is, if they got him, then all of Camelot would suffer, not just us. A few villages are worth the sacrifice."

The man grumbled, but there were nods of agreement from the others. "That's right!" said one of the men from Elador. "This is Prince Arthur. He came to our village two years ago when we were being attacked by raiders. He taught us to fight, he helped us protect our village. He didn't have to, but he did! We owe him everything and we will never give him up. Will we?"

A cry of no went up from all of the villagers of Elador. The man turned to Arthur and smiled. "As you see, sire, we are all willing to die for you."

Arthur was deeply moved and made no effort to hide it. "We will get you all out. Don't worry." he told them his voice thick with emotion. A knight made his way through to the prince and handed him the keys.

"The guards are taken care of." he told Arthur who simply nodded. He quickly unlocked the doors to the cells and released the people. Percy gave him a hug, which the prince returned.

"Sire!" A knight came running towards him. "Sire, Morgana and Morgause are no where to be found and their horses are gone. I was able to get information from one of Alvarr's men: they've gone to Camelot!"

Arthur felt a chill of fear. "Sir Leon, you and half your men will come with me. Lancelot and the other half will make sure these people get to safety. Is that understood?" The knights all nodded.

"I want to come with you!" objected Percy.

Arthur shook his head. "It's too dangerous. You can come to Camelot some other time, but not now." Percy sighed but nodded. "Good."

"Hello, Uther." Morgana smiled maliciously at him. "Miss me?" The king instinctively shuddered. He had never totally given up up of Morgana's return and normally he would have been delighted to see her, but he knew something was wrong. For one thing, she was in the company of Morgause and for another, the way she was looking at him...there was only one name for it: hatred.

"But...how...why.." She laughed.

"Really, Uther. Is it that hard to understand?"

Uther felt a lump rise in his throat and he looked at Merlin and Gwen for support. The latter looked as shocked as he was, but the former...Merlin did looked surprised to see Morgana, but not surprised at that she was working with Morgause.

Morgana followed his gaze. "Ah, yes! Merlin. The traitor. Did he tell you, Uther? Did he tell you what he did? He tried to poison me!"

The whole room gasped and everyone's gaze was instantly on him and only one, Gaius's, was full of understanding. "Is that true, Merlin?" Uther demanded. Morgana smiled smugly, sure that Merlin was in for it now.

Merlin took a deep breath before replying. "Yes, sire, but I had no choice." he said his voice full of fear. He saw Gaius give him a supportive nod and he stood. "I had no choice!" he repeated loud and clearly. "It was over a year ago. Morgause had cast a spell on Camelot that made everyone in the city fall asleep and that brought the kinights of Medhir to the castle! They were going to kill everyone, starting with you, sire. You see although Morgause was the one who had cast the spell, Morgana was the source that was keeping it going. The only way to break the spell was to kill the source. I had no choice. It was either let Morgana live and let all of Camelot fall or kill Morgana and save Camelot. I chose Camelot, even though it cost me one of dearest friends." With that he sat down and hung his head.

Silence filled the hall as everyone wondered what Uther was going to say and do. The king looked at Morgana and then back at Merlin. "You," he said slowly, but loudly enough for everyone to hear, "did the right thing."

Morgana's eyes blazed with fury as the guests all stared at the king in wonder. "You will pay for this!" she said spitefully.

Uther looked at her, sadness in his eyes. "I fear I already have."

"Oh, you have no idea! You have lost what you cared must about," said Morgause, "or so you thought."

Uther looked at her, puzzled by that lost statement. "What do you mean by that?"

"She means, they tricked you." Everyone turned to see a figure standing in the shadows, a figure that slowly stepped forward into the light.

Uther nearly collapsed, Merlin thought he was dreaming, and Gwen almost rushed up from the table to throw herself in the figure's arms.

"Guards!" called Arthur and Sir Leon and his men poured into the room. "Arrest them."


	14. The Question

Arthur just stared at his father, Merlin, and Gwen as the guards rushed forward to arrest the two sorceresses, but before they could even get close Morgause muttered some spell and the two vanished. Uther, Merlin, and Gwen barely even seemed to notice for they could not take their eyes off of Arthur. Everyone else just started in amazement and then the room exploded with the guests' chatter.

"Where did they go?"

"Why would the Lady Morgana do this?"

"Who was that with her?"

"Did Merlin really poison Morgana or did he just make that up?"

"How is Prince Arthur still alive?"

This last question was on everyone's tongue and they eventually all fell silent waiting for him to give some account of himself. When no such account was forthcoming the guests began to crumble and then to leave. King Olaf had to forcefully drag away Vivian from her "beloved Arthur", whose name she had been shrieking ever since his sudden appearance.

Once the room was cleared of all the guests, Sir Leon, figuring rightly that Arthur would want to be along with those he loved, bowed respectively first to Uther and then to Arthur and then led the knights out of the room.

The door shut with a bang and for a second no one moved. "Father." Arthur finally said finding his voice and bowing. Uther slowly rose from his chair.

"Arthur." he whispered. Then "Arthur!" he rushed forward and caught Arthur in his arms and father and son embraced. "Is it really you?" Uther cried.

"Yes, Father. It's me." his voice cracked and when Uther finally let go, he saw that Arthur had as much tears in his eyes as he did.

"My boy." Uther smiled and gently whipped away Arthur's tears. "My son. My Arthur."

Arthur smiled backed. "Well, then...Merlin." he turned to his former servant. He tried to scowl, but his eyes told the true story.

"Let me guess," said Merlin standing up, "you want me to clean your room and polish your armor?" Arthur laughed and pulled his friend into a hug.

"No, not unless you want to." he said ruffling Merlin's hair.

Merlin laughed and then pulled away. "I'd glad clean your room and polish your armor a thousand times just to have you alive, sire."

"Well, forgot it, Merlin. You are know the king's sorcerer." Merlin blushed. "You see, your reputation has already spread." said Arthur.

"Well, sire," said Gaius, noticing that Arthur's eyes never stayed away from Gwen for more than a few seconds, "we are all very glad to see you alive. It must be quite a story you have to tell."

"Yes, Gaius." Arthur agreed. "Quite."

"Well, Merlin and I have some work to do, as I am sure you do, sire." said Gaius giving the king a pointed look. Merlin and Uther were about to object, but then they saw where Arthur's eyes were resting and they nodded.

Arthur barely seemed to notice them leaving. Gwen and he just couldn't take their eyes off of each other. Slowly, Gwen stood from her chair and approached him. "Arthur."

"Guinevere." Gwen smiled. She had always loved the way he said her name and hearing it again was the most beautiful sound on earth.

He caught her in his arms and spun her around, both of them laughing and crying. "Oh, how I've missed you!" exclaimed Gwen as he set her back down on the floor.

"And I you." said Arthur. "I've thought of you every moment of every day."

"What happened?" she asked. "We all thought you were dead!"

"I know, and I will tell you, all of you and soon, but first...there's something I need to ask you." He knelt down on one knee and took hold of both of her hands. "Guinevere, I love you. I honestly don't know how I've managed to survive this last year without you. I never gave up hope that we would meet again. You were all I could think about. You were my inspiration, you are what gave me the strength to find my way back to Camelot, to my father, to Merlin, but most importantly, to you. Will you, Guinevere, will you marry me?"

"Oh, Arthur!" cried Gwen, in absolute joy. "Yes. Of course I will!" Arthur jumped to his feet and taking her once more in his arms kissed her, all his passion pouring forth.


	15. The Plan

Arthur stared over the battlements at the city he loved so much. How he had missed Camelot! When he had been Morgana and Morgause's prisoner, he felt that he had died, being torn off from those he loved and cared about so much. He closed his eyes and just breathed in the fresh air, a smiling rising to his face.

_A filthy prison, that is where Morgana and Morgause had held him. It wasn't fit for a dog to live in, much less a human being, much less who was the future king of Camelot. Morgana stood in the door way, sneering at him. "Your time is over, Arthur. Our time is come. Soon, Camelot will fall and there is nothing you can do to stop us."_

"_Why are you doing this, Morgana?" Arthur's voice was dry, from lack of thirst. He was weak,, so weak that his words were barely more than a whisper. They hadn't feed him or given him water since he had arrived two days earlier._

"_Why? Why?" Morgana stood of Arthur. He was sprawled on the floor, shriving with the cold. They hadn't even given him any blankets and it was freezing the dungeons. "You are the son of Uther Pendragon and you have the nerve to ask me why!"_

_She turned to leave. "He loved you." Arthur called after her, trying to raise himself up on his elbow. Morgana turned back and met his gaze. "He loved you, Morgana." he repeated. "You were like a daughter to him. He never did you any harm."_

_Morgana's eyes narrowed. "That's because he didn't know me. If he had, he would have killed me without a second thought." Her eyes turned golden and a smile fire appeared in front of Arthur. His eyes widened in surprise...and fear. "Now you know." With that she turned and left without giving him so much as another look._

"Arthur?" Arthur felt a hand gently rest on his shoulder. He opened his eyes to find Merlin beside him, a concerned expression on his face. "You alright?"

Arthur shook himself, trying to forget the unpleasant memory. He tried to smile, but failed. "I was just...I can't forget, Merlin. I wish I could. All the horrible things that I've seen, been forced to witness and experience this past year. I can't get it out of my head."

Merlin squeezed Arthur shoulder then removed his hand. "I'm sorry, Arthur. Truly. If only I had gone with you-"

"No!" Arthur quickly cut him off and Merlin backed up in surprise at the force of with which Arthur had spoken. "No, Merlin." Arthur said much more gently this time. "If you had, they would have killed you without a second thought. No. You were better off here. Besides," here a real smile crossed his face and he gestured to the city. "Look at all the changes you've inspired. Without you, this would not be."

Merlin shrugged. "It wasn't all me, you know. Gwen had a hand in it too, as did your father. You'll never know, Arthur, how much the letters you left influenced us, especially him. He's a new man, Arthur. One would hardly believe that the Uther of today and the Uther of last year were the same person at all."

Arthur's smile grew. "I don't doubt it."

Merlin smiled back then he frowned as he remembered there was something he wanted to tell Arthur. "Lancelot's back."

Arthur nodded. "I know. I saw him with Sir Leon and the rest of the knights. What was he doing with them?"

"He wanted to be of some use and so your father sent him on the mission with Sir Leon. Are you angry that he's back?"

"I was at first." Arthur admitted. "But not anymore. Merlin, Gwen has agreed to marry me." Merlin's smile was back and it was bigger than before.

"Arthur!" he laughed and clapped his friend on the back. "Congratulations! I can't tell you how often I've been waiting for you to say those words!"

Arthur smiled. "Thanks, Merlin."

_Arthur was given food and water and he began to stuff his face. It had been like this for the last several months. He wouldn't have food or water for three days and then he would be given a meal, not large, but enough to satisfy his hunger. Then it would happen all over again. Several times he had come close to starving to death. He wondered why Morgana and Morgause had even bothered to keep him alive. What use could he possibly be to them? _

_It wasn't long before Morgana arrived at his cell and told him. He stared at her in disbelief. "No." he said flatly. She laughed and he flinched at the sound. _

"_You don't have a choice, Arthur."_

"_My father would never agree to such a thing and you know it, Morgana!"_

"_Oh, he cares for you much more than you realize, Arthur. Besides, he thinks you're dead now. If he were to find out the truth...well, lets just say there's nothing he wouldn't do to get his son back."_

"_Including giving up Camelot? I think not."_

_Morgana smiled. "Count on it, Arthur."_

Merlin could tell the unpleasant memories had hit Arthur again. He opened his mouth to bring him back to reality when the sound of someone approaching drew both their attention. Uther smiled at the sight of his son. He turned to Merlin. "I'd like some time alone with my son if you don't mind."

Merlin bowed. "Not at all, sire." He nodded at Arthur before leaving the way Uther had come. Uther put his arms around Arthur and held him tight. Arthur turned the gesture tears pouring down both their cheeks.

"I cannot tell you how happy I am that you're alive and back with us, Arthur." Arthur just nodded, not trusting himself to speak. Uther gently pulled away and wiped the tears from Arthur's face.

"Gwen has told me the good news."

"Do we have your permission?" Arthur asked. 

"Of course!" said Uther. "But more than that you have my blessing. She is a wonderful young woman Arthur and I couldn't be more pleased with your choice."

Arthur smiled. "Thank you, Father." Arthur looked over his father's shoulder and spotted Sir Leon. "Yes?"

Uther turned to face the knight. Sir Leon bowed to both of them before speaking. "The villagers are here, sire."

Arthur nodded and noted the look of confusion of his father's face. "I'll explain later, Father." Sir Leon cleared his throat. "Yes?"

"Morgana and Morgause...they have an army marching on towards Camelot. They'll be here by nightfall."


End file.
